Snarky Puppy Explores the Forest Musically with European Orchestra

Snarky Puppy’s latest album, Sylva, is unlike anything it has produced before — this time out, the groundbreaking band has created music with The Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest, which the band and orchestra then recorded live.

“The last thing I wanted to do with this opportunity was turn it into a Snarky Puppy With Strings situation,” said Snarky Puppy leader/bassist Michael League. Instead, it was an open, collaborative experience, in which Metropole’s conductor gave League the ability to customize instrumentation and get some assistance in orchestra arrangement.

“I wrote the music while on tour, in buses and on planes and in dressing rooms backstage before and after shows. Throughout the whole process, my governing concept was to try to capture the many sides and personalities of the only place where I feel truly connected to the earth as a human being. A place that is at once innocent, frightening, awe-inspiring, impenetrable, fragile, stoic, telling, a shelter, a labyrinth, a temple, a tomb, a sanctuary, a parliament, a prison. The forest,” League said.

The sound is extraordinary. Check out the album trailer to get a taste of it:

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The videos of these performances are insane. I don’t know of anybody else right now creating music at the level Michael League is at. This is going to be a contender for record of the year. So dang good!